Blonde (2000) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit

Write a ridiculously simplified synopsis.

Characters/People edit see section history

• Norma Jeane Baker: Marilyn Monroe's original name
• Gladys Mortensen: Norma Jeane's mother
• Marilyn Monroe: Norma Jeane Baker's screen name
• Bucky Glazer: Norma Jeane's first husband
• Cass Chaplin: Charlie Chaplin's son
• Elsie: Norma Jeane's foster mother
• Magda: The vulnerable young girl whom the Playwright is in love with in his early years
• I. E. Shinn: Norma Jeane's first agent
• Otto Ose: The photographer who discovers Norma Jeane
• Max Pearlman: NY stage producer; a mentor to MM.
• Cherie: MM's character in the film Bus Stop
• Warren Pirig: Elsie Pirig's husband
• Grandma Della Monroe: Gladys' mother who raises Norma Jeane for the first few years of her life
• Angela: Monroe's character in The Asphalt Jungle
• Clive Pearce: Norma Jeane's sometime piano teacher and Gladys' sometime lover
• Edith Middelstadt: The Christian Scientist, kindly 50-ish head of the L.A. County orphanage where Norma Jeane is sent when she is 8.
• Nell: MM's character in one of her first roles
• Debra Mae: Older girl and Norma Jeane's protector at the L.A. County orphanage
• Eddy G. Robinson, Jr.: One of the Geminis; Cass' buddy; Edward G. Robinson's son, a.k.a. Eddy G
• Harriet: Add a description of this character.
• Lorelei Lee: Marilyn Monroe's character's name in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
• Rose: MM's character's name in Niagara
• Isaac: The protagonist created by the Playwright based on himself, in love at an early age with Magda
• Mr. Haring: Norma Jeane's poetry teacher in high school
• Widdoes: A policeman/suitor who befriended Norma Jeane
• Whitey: Monroe's adored long-time make-up man who looked like Cary Grant
• Prof Dietrich: One of MM's acting teachers
• Aunt Jess: A neighbor who sometimes took care of young Norma Jeane
• Esther: Irina's mother and Norma Jeane's friend
• Irina: The little girl whom Norma Jeane babysits for.
• Grauman
• Clark Gable: Actor, with whom MM appeared in The Misfits, right before he died of a heart attack; Norma Jeane believed he might be her long-lost father
• H: John Huston, first loved then hated by MM when he directed her in The Misfits
• John F. Kennedy: MM's "prince", with whom she had an affair with in 1962
• The President's Pimp: Peter Lawford, JFK's misogynist brother-in-law

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• West Hollywood
• The Studio: For MM and Gladys Mortensen, where they mainly lived out their lives
• Van Nuys: Where Norma Jeane lived with her foster family and attended Van Nuys High School
• New York City: MM comes to live here around 1955, after the dissolution of her marriage to the Ex-Athlete and meets the Playwright
• Los Angeles: Norma Jeane's hometown
• Norwalk: The mental institution that MM commits her mother to in her later years
• Galapagos Cove: Where MM summers with the Playwright in 1957
• Lakewood: The first institution Gladys Mortensen is committed to around 1934
• Reno, Nevada: Where MM, Clark Gable, Monty Clift, John Huston film The Misfits in 1961
• Santa Monica
• Tokyo: MM and the Ex-Athlete travel there in the mid-50's for a publicity event and the crowds go wild for her, shouting "Monchan"
• England: Where MM films The Prince and the Showgirl in 1957
• Highland Avenue: Where Norma Jeane lives with her mother in her early years
• Rahway: The Playwright's hometown
• San Francisco: Where the Ex-Athlete's family is from
• Korea: MM travels there during the Korean War to entertain the troops, after the Tokyo publicity even t
• Brentwood: MM's last residence in LA
• White House: Where the Prince lives
• Schwab's Drugstore: Where MM was discovered by Richard Widmark staring at her derriere
• Sepulveda Theater: Norma Jeane enjoyed movies here as a little girl
• Verdugo Gardens
• Venice Beach: The beach where MM almost drowned several times

First Sentence edit see section history

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• The Dark Prince: A screen presence that haunts Norma Jeane throughout her life
• The Fair Princess: The screen presence whom Norma Jeane identifies with as herself
• The Three Sisters: Represents the serious actress that MM wanted to be considered as and the intelligent being she wanted to be viewed as

Series & Lists edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Joyce Carol Oates (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• National Book Award (Finalist, 2000)
• Pulitzer Prize (Finalist, 2001: Fiction)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Not for children

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Authors, A-Z › ( O ) › Oates, Joyce Carol
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Literary
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary